Mughlai Lamb Biriani Indian Favourite Dish

Mughlai Lamb Biriani


Ingredients:

• 2 cups long grain rice
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 tablespoons warm milk
• 3 medium onions 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 3/4 inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 4 tablespoons blanched, slivered almonds
• 2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons water
• 13 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons golden raisins
• 1 1/2 pound boned lamb meat (from the shoulder) cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 5-6 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 inch stick of cinnamon
• 1/6 of a nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and at room temperature

Method Of Cooking:

• Wash the rice in several changes of water. 
• Drain it and put it in a large bowl. 
• Add 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt.
• Mix and soak for 3 hours.
• Put the saffron threads in a small, heavy frying pan set over a medium flame. 
• Toss the threads about until they turn a few shades darker.
• Put the warm milk in a small cup.
• Crumble the saffron into the warm milk and let it soak for 3 hours. 
• Cut two of the onions in half lengthwise, and then cut the halves into fine half-rings. 
• Set these aside. 
• Chop the remaining onion very coarsely. 
• Put this chopped onion, garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of the almonds, and 3 tablespoons water into the container of an electric blender. 
• Blend until  have a paste.
• Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a 10 inch non stick frying pan over a medium high flame. 
• When hot, put in the onion half rings. 
• Stir and fry them until they are brown and crisp.
• Remove them with a slotted spoon and spread them out on a plate lined with paper towels.
• Put the raisins into the same oil. 
• Remove them as soon as they turn plump – which happens immediately. 
• Put the raisins in another plate lined with paper towels. 
• Put the remaining 2 tablespoons almonds into the oil. Stir and fry them until they are golden. 
• Remove them with a slotted spoon and spread them out beside the raisins. 
• Set aside for use as the garnish.
• Now put the meat cubes, a few at a time, into the same hot oil and brown them on all sides. 
• As each batch gets done, put it in a bowl.
• Add another 7 tablespoons oil to the frying pan and turn the heat to medium. 
• When hot, put in the onion-garlic-ginger-almond paste from the blender. 
• Fry, stirring all the time, until the paste turns a medium brown color. 
• If it sticks slightly to the bottom of the pan, sprinkle in a little water and keep stirring.
• Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the pan.
• Add the yoghurt, a tablespoon at a time, stirring well between each addition. 
• Now put in 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 2/3 cup water. Mix and bring to a simmer. 
• Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
• While the meat is cooking, put the cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon and nutmeg into the container of a spice grinder or a clean coffee grinder. Grind finely.
• When the meat has cooked for 30 minutes, add all the spices from the spice grinder as well as the cayenne and mix well. 
• Cover again and continue to cook on low heat for another 30 minutes.
• Remove cover, raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring all the time, until you have about 3/4 cup of thick sauce left at the bottom of the pan
• Turn off the heat and spoon off as much grease as possible. 
• The meat should be pretty well cooked by now.
• Spread out the meat and sauce in the bottom of a heavy casserole. Cover and keep warm.
• Preheat oven to low-moderate, 300 degrees.
• Bring 3 1/2 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. 
• Add 1 1/2 tablespoons salt to it.
• Drain the rice and rinse it off under running water. 
• Slowly, scatter the rice into the boiling water, bring to a boil again and boil rapidly for exactly 6 minutes. Then drain the rice.
• Put the rice on top of the meat, piling it up in the shape of a hill. 
• Take a chopstick or the handle of a long spoon and make a 1 inch wide hole going down like a well from the peak of the rice hill to its bottom. 
• Drizzle the saffron milk in streaks along the sides of the hill,lay the pieces of butter on the sides of the hill and scatter 2 tablespoons of the browned onions over it as well.
• Cover first with aluminum foil, sealing the edges well, and then with a lid ,bake in the oven for 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven. If left in a warm place, this rice will stay hot for 30 minutes.
• Mix the contents of the rice pot gently.

Serve the rice on a warmed platter, garnished with the eggs, remaining browned onions, raisins and almonds.